<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>As Long As We're Together by TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447085">As Long As We're Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27/pseuds/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27'>TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JATP Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sleeping Together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:56:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,003</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27/pseuds/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick has escaped Caleb's possession but he can't escape his memories and most days he is fighting to convince everyone he's alright (he can't exactly explain that he has PTSD from being possessed by an evil ghost.) He's struggling with his grades and pretty much everything else, the only thing that gets him through the day is Reggie's constant unwavering support, but he can't fake it forever.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nick &amp; Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Nick/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JATP Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002168</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>JATP Appreciation Week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>As Long As We're Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this is for day 3 (a little late I know) and I really wanted to write a Nick/Reggie fic even though Juke is technically my favorite. So I hope you all like it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nick was exhausted, he’d had trouble sleeping ever since Caleb’s possession had ended and the only place he could ever find rest was in Reggie's arms. Unfortunately for him, the bassist was still rehearsing with the band and he was sitting on the couch with the music blaring. </p><p>	His letterman jacket was wrapped tightly around his shoulders and Reggies' much larger leather jacket was also draped over him. Even with the two coats, he was still cold, it felt like he was always cold unless he was with Reggie. </p><p>	Speaking of Reggie, Nick could hear him turning down the volume on the speakers consistently until they were on one, it was thoughtful but he still wouldn’t be able to sleep. </p><p>	Nick tried to bury his face further into the pillows, after a while the music died altogether and he was left with a brief silence before the couch sunk down next to him. </p><p>	“Reggie” he whispered moving his body closer to the familiar warmth “ya Nick” he whispered “you’re here” he replied, yawning and scooching up the couch until his head rested against Reggie's chest. “You’ll stay with me?” Nick asked quietly with a cute yawn that made Reggie smile. </p><p>	“Of course I’ll be here Nicky” he replied kissing the blonde boy's silky golden hair as Nick curled up in between Reggie's legs. He mumbled something unintelligible and pressed closer to Reggie who laughed softly and ran his hands through Nick's delicious coconut-scented hair “sleep” he said with a forced smile. </p><p>	As Nick's breathing evened out Reggie let out a breath of his own “I’m really worried about him Luke, he barely eats he barely sleeps, he jumps at every tiny noise, he follows me around like a lost puppy. I don’t know how to help him and his parents are getting frustrated because his grades are dropping and he barely goes home anymore because he’s always here…” Luke looked at Reggie a little surprised but mostly just sad, that look he gets when someone is upset and he can’t do anything about it. “I know Reg but I think the only thing to do is be there for him.” </p><p>	Reggie sighed and hunched over pressing his face into Nick's hair. Luke knew he was crying again, in that silent way of his where you’d never be able to tell. </p><p>	Eventually, Reggie pulled himself together and removed his face from Nick's hair, instead of leaning back against the pillows of the couch and closing his eyes. It wasn’t long until he was asleep too. </p><p>##############################################################################</p><p>	Nick stirred gently against Reggie's chest, a cute yawn escaping his mouth as he pressed closer to Reggie. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around his boyfriend's chest. “Reg,” he said, still half asleep “what times it?” he mumbled. “It’s 7:00” Reggie replied, completely unprepared for Nick's response. </p><p>	He jumped about ten feet in the air “oh my god, I fell asleep!” he pulled on his shoes without tying them and practically ran out the garage door before Reggie even sat up “what the…” he started, blinking before standing up to follow Nick out of the door. </p><p>	He was running down the street full speed when Reggie found him, running up to his house and knocking frantically on the door “Hey Nick, what’s wrong” Reggie asked carefully, worried his boyfriend was in the midst of another flashback.  “We…slept..through the night” Nick panted, Reggie quickly wrapped his arms around Nick. </p><p>	“It’s okay, we’ll figure it out,” Reggie said looking at Nick who was still wrapped up in Reggie's leather jacket, his blonde hair was sleep tousled and he looked close to tears, the additional stress too much after everything he’d been through. </p><p>	“Shhhh” Reggie whispered embracing his panicked boyfriend and holding him close, Nick's hands instantly wrapped around Reggie, gripping the back of his shirt. Reggie let go of Nick as footsteps came toward the door, squeezing his boyfriend's hand before letting go. </p><p>	Nick looked close to panicking again as Reggie removed his arms so he moved behind Nick instead, wrapping his arms around Nick's waist so his parents wouldn’t think he was aggressively embracing air. </p><p>	When the door opened a dark-haired woman appeared in the hallway. “Nick!” she exclaimed, her dark eyebrows furrowing together “where on earth have you been!” she reached forward to embrace him but Nick jerked away from her touch, pressing himself closer to Reggie with a whimper. </p><p>	She looked surprised and then hurt, pulling him in through the doorway Reggie followed. “Where were you last night! When did you turn into the kind of kid who doesn’t come home at night!” His mother exclaimed. Nick's eyes were glued to the floor and he took a deep breath like Reggie taught him to do when he needed to calm down. </p><p>	“I was at Julie's house last night, she’s been helping me with homework and I fell asleep on the couch in the garage, I’m really, really sorry, I promise it won’t happen again” she narrowed her eyes at him and Reggie felt him shrink in on himself a little more. </p><p>	“If that’s true why didn’t Julie call, and why are you wearing someone else's jacket?” His mother asked “Julie was really stressed and she was talking to her boyfriend and she probably fell asleep too” Nick said ignoring the second half of the question. </p><p>	His mother just narrowed her eyes, she clearly knew what Nick was doing “Whose jacket is that?” she repeated. “It’s my boyfriends” he replied finally “you spent the night with your boyfriend!” his mom shouted causing him to flinch again “No I was just wearing his jacket!” Nick defended instantly. </p><p>	“When did you get a boyfriend! And who is this boyfriend?” she asked angrily “Um… well we started dating a month ago... his name is Reggie, he’s great. He’s the bass player in Julie's band” Nick rambled nervously as Reggie stood behind him. </p><p>	“I don’t want you dating a boy who wears leather jackets and is in a rock band! And before you tell me I’m being unrealistic you should know that I got a call from your principal this morning saying that you’re barely getting a C-  in most of your classes! What happened to college and a lacrosse scholarship?” she shouted. Then suddenly his mother saw that Nick had backed away and was muttering to himself with a clear look of fear on his face, she tried reaching a hand towards him and he flinched violently. </p><p>	“Nick.” his mother said in an overly gentle voice “is your boyfriend hurting you darling? You can tell me, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” she said confusing Nick even further while Reggie felt his heart sinking. </p><p>	“What do you… N-no no, Reggie would never hurt me. He promised he’d never do bad things to me or hurt me...  ” Nick was rambling again but he didn’t know how to stop, luckily for him, Reggie took pity and covered his mouth. </p><p>	His mother looked skeptical “You’re not going to be able to see him until you can get your grades up and come home on time” his mother said “and that’s final” she added when Nick opened his mouth. </p><p>	Nick just stared at his mom. Even though she couldn’t actually stop Nick from seeing Reggie, Nick hated going against his parent's wishes and he couldn’t handle any more stress right now. </p><p>	Reggie saw what was going to happen a moment before it did, Nick's mother reached out to embrace him and Nick shrunk backward, his breathing heavy. He ripped himself away from Reggie's embrace and ran up the stairs “Nick!” he shouted following his boyfriend up the stairs two at a time. </p><p>	He heard the door slamming shut and Nick’s panting breaths from the other side. Reggie walked through the locked door sinking down next to Nick who had squeezed himself into the corner of the room with his knees pressed against his chest and his head hung forward. </p><p>	His desperate almost animalistic keening noises broke Reggie's heart. Cautiously he stepped closer to Nick “Nicky” he whispered holding out a pacifying hand. He expected panic and hallucinations but he didn’t expect Nick to throw himself into Reggie's waiting arms. </p><p>	His boyfriend was crying and whimpering and shaking as Reggie stroked his hair “d-don’t leave m-me” he stuttered clinging to Reggie's flannel so tightly that the taller boy was left standing there stunned. “I won’t leave you” Reggie promised, shakily stroking Nick's hair. </p><p>	“Y-you won’t h-h-hurt me w-will you?’ Nick asked looking at him with huge tear-filled blue eyes. Reggie shook his head choking on a sob of his own “Never” Nick nodded and buried his face in Reggie's shirt, stifling his tears. </p><p>	As the minutes ticked on Reggie continued rubbing calming circles on Nicks back until he stopped crying and his posture relaxed “I’m sorry” Nick whispered finally. Reggie shook his head “There's nothing to be sorry for”</p><p>	As they sat in silence Reggie continued threading his fingers through Nick's hair, but this time he pulled in tight little sections. Weaving the pieces of Nick's hair over and under. </p><p>	Nick let him continue the french braids until his hair was pulled back neatly from his face. “How’d you learn to do that?” Nick asked. Reggie shrugged “Julie showed me how” Nick nodded awkwardly, still embarrassed by his breakdown. </p><p>	Reggie wrapped his arms around Nick's waist and pressed his lips to his throat. Nick sighed happily as Reggie pulled his face away and lightly kissed Nick's lips. </p><p>	“Are you okay Nicky? Maybe you should sleep or eat or something…” Reggie started “or maybe we could go do something?” Nick asked hesitantly, he didn’t want Reggie to feel obligated or anything. </p><p>	“What do you want to do?” Reggie asked curiously eyeing Nick, who looked way too nervous for the situation “I mean your probably busy and I understand if you don’t want to” Nick amended quickly. Reggie frowned at him and Nick felt his eyes flood with tears. </p><p>	Of course, it had been too good to last, Reggie was perfect and he was… well him. “Hey, why are you crying,” Reggie asked panicking slightly and smoothing Nicks hoodie and his jacket. “I thought we were going to go do something together, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Reggie added quickly, his own worries taking over. </p><p>	“No, no I wanna go!” Nick said quickly, stumbling over his words a little “I just didn’t think you’d… want to go with me” Nick added, his voice trailing off towards the end. </p><p>	“Why would you think that?” Reggie asked, bewildered. “Well, I’m kinda a mess and-” Reggie aggressively cut him off  “I’ll always want you Nick” they both looked at each other for a minute before leaning in. </p><p>	Reggie cupped the back of Nick's neck bringing their faces closer together as Nick moaned a little into the kiss. When Reggie pulled back he had a huge smile on his face and Nick looked a little dazed. His cheeks were flushed and there was still the shimmer of partially dried tears on his cheeks. </p><p>	“So where do you want to go,” Reggie asked with a bright smile on his face, Nick only shrugged. “I don’t really care but can we maybe do something normal,” he asked “ya of course” Reggie replied with a smile “So what do normal teenagers in 2020 do?” Nick blinked, looked at Reggie, and then shrugged. For a moment they both just looked at each other before breaking into hysteric laughter. </p><p>	“Really though, what do you want to do?” Reggie asked when they’d calmed down “Why don’t we just see what happens? I mean it’ll be fine as long as we’re together right” Nick asked with a light blush. Reggie smiled back at him with a similar blush adorning his cheeks “As long as we’re together” Reggie replied tucking a loose strand of Nicks braided hair behind his ear and wiping away the last traces of tears from his cheeks.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>